Gareth Bale has followed up with his earlier statements that the Euro 2016 quarter final match between Wales and Portugal was never personal for him and Cristiano Ronaldo. The Welshman once again squashed rumors from the media that says there’s no cordial relationship between the two Real Madrid stars.
Image: Gareth Bale talks with Cristiano Ronaldo after the encounter.
The former Tottenham winger heaped praises on his Portuguese teammate at a press conference after Wales lost 2-0 to Portugal.
Bale referred to Ronaldo as a goal-getter, adding that he was born to score goals.
In the spirit of sportsmanship, the Welshman who was overshadowed in the game by Cristiano Ronaldo’s exploits accepted defeat with dignity.
“It is a difficult one to analyse now but we’re obviously disappointed,” he told UEFA’s official website.
“We’ve got to be proud first and foremost. We’ve given everything on the pitch, off the pitch.
“We’ve tried to enjoy the experience of the tournament. We want to thank all the fans for all the support we’ve had, it’s been absolutely incredible.
“We’re disappointed, naturally, but they got the first goal and were a bit lucky on the second. We tried our hardest to get back in the game.
“We fought until the last second and we’re sorry we couldn’t get to the final but we gave everything.
“He [Ronaldo] is a natural goalscorer and he scored yet again. It’s not about them, it’s about us.
“We’re disappointed but we’ll pick ourselves up. We’re a proud bunch and we’ll stick together and lift the spirits and go again.
“Nobody expected us to get this far but we’re very proud and have no regrets. We’ll continue to battle on.”
“They shut up shop quite well. They limited our opportunities and fair dues to them. We have no regrets.
“We’re a proud nation and proud of what we achieved. We obviously would have loved to have gone to the final and challenged for the trophy, but it wasn’t meant to be.”
Ronaldo likes these compliments so much. I can’t guess how he feels hearing them.
Feels good reading that Bale has good words to say about Ronaldo. Can the pompous Portuguese ever do that? Maybe not but that’s okay because everyone understands he’s the best, according to his thinking.